Foods to boost fertility naturally
‘What should I eat if I’m trying for baby” is something I hear regularly in clinic. And what you should eat is nuanced, so the below list is not exhaustive. It is a good start, but an extensive health assessment + strategic, bespoke and achievable nutrition plan is the gold standard. However, these are some regular foods I discuss in clinic.
- Plants, beautiful plants so full of fibre, plant-protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals *swoons*. Eating more of, and a diverse range of plants is shown time and time again in research to improve egg and sperm health, uterine health for implantation, reproductive condition management, ovulatory cyclicity and so forth.
- Your greens, yes these guys sit in the plant group above, but they deserve their own call out. Green leafy veggies contain folate, a nutrient implicated in reduced neural tube defects for babies, and also in fertility success rates.
- Whole grains are FULL of all the goods, especially fibre, b-vitamins, energy and slow release carbs. These guys feed your microbes (and you, to give you energy). Research as linked diets high in a wide range of diverse whole grains with thicker a uterine lining, which can improve implantation success.
- Eggs are nutrient and protein packed. The humble egg is an excellent dietary source of crucial prenatal nutrients like choline, iodine and vitamin D.
- Mono and polyunsaturated fats you find in nuts and seeds, avocadoes, oily fish, extra virgin olive oil and so forth are implicated in sex cell (egg and sperm) health and ovulation cyclicity. They are potent antioxidants with far reaching health benefits. Omega-3 fats in particular are associated with improved sex cell health, baby’s brain development in-utero and a reduced risk of preterm birth.
- Sunshine is the ultimate natural source of Vitamin D with only about 10% of serum (blood) vit D coming from dietary sources. Vit D is a fat soluble vitamin and hormone with numerous physiological functions, including helping the body absorb calcium. Vit D deficiency is surprisingly common in Australia. Certain health conditions can make deficiency even more common, and some research has associated deficiency with increased risk of preterm birth, pre eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
- Beetroot I added as another rogue singleton food (with eggs) and while I don’t buy into the rhetoric of a single superfood (please don’t just eat eggs and beets!), I wanted to include them in case you love them -it won’t hurt to add them into your weekly meals-. Beets contain nitric oxide, which dilates (relaxes) blood vessels to improve blood flow for enhanced nutrient flow to sex organs like the uterus.
- A prenatal supplement, it’s not a food I know. But if you are TTC, you will be navigating the prenatal supplementverse. Choosing the most 1) expensive, or 2) marketed brand may not be the best fit for you. All prenatals contain varying nutrients, in various chemical forms and different amounts. What you need depends on your body and your diet. To get you started though, per current guidelines, folic acid and iodine supplementation is recommended from at least 3 months preconception.
These are just a handful of general recommendations. Individual nuances based on unique requirements, medical history, diet preferences, nutrient deficiencies, intolerances and about a million other questions I would ask will determine if these, or other strategic nutrition recommendations, are right for you. If you are experiencing a delay to conception please reach out to your healthcare team.
If you would like to book a 1:1 fertility nutrition consultation with me to cut through the stress of what to eat preconception, and which prenatal to take, get in touch below. Or let’s get social, I share lots of fertility recipes 🙂
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